Every rational person realizes the importance of maintaining healthy bowels and regular, normal bowel movements for their overall health. Thanks to my own 'gut feeling,' I've been researching the skin-gut connection for a long time. Those who know me understand that I'm always curious about the 'how and why' behind things. For instance, why you might experience a skin reaction after eating something, or how stress can disrupt your bowel movements and possibly affect your skin as well. Recognizing and identifying these connections is one thing, but explaining them is, in my view, the logical next step to first understand it myself and then help others. Thus, I am both theoretically engaged in unraveling the skin-gut axis and a practitioner who learns from my own (practical) experiences and then translates this into theory, which I document in my books and blogs.
I personally know what it means to have gut issues. Over the past few weeks, due to personal circumstances, I've been dealing with less effective bowel function. On one hand, my father in the nursing home is struggling with bowel issues, likely due to not drinking enough and lack of movement. On the other hand, I've been sitting more than usual behind my laptop working on the English translation of my second book. This prolonged sitting has also affected my bowels somewhat. I discovered during my 'sessions on the toilet' that certain movements like shoulder rotations and neck exercises helped activate my sometimes sluggish bowel movements. My curiosity was piqued once again, as I wanted to understand this phenomenon.
I know this may sound like the beginning of a very odd post because I'm going to talk about pooping and the (hopefully daily) process of eliminating what your body no longer needs after digesting and absorbing part of your food. And as strange as it may be to discuss: everyone produces poop and needs to get rid of it at some point! You do too!
The explanations I found for stimulating bowel movements with physical activities came from my knowledge of yin yoga. Besides writing, I also teach yin yoga in Zaltbommel since this summer. The word 'Yin' in this form of yoga refers to the 'Yin-Yang' balance from China, where Yang stands for daytime, masculine, and activities like sports, stress, and thinking (and worrying). The counterpart of Yang is Yin, which stands for feminine, nighttime, and involves relaxing, unwinding muscles and tissues, digesting, and literally and figuratively 'unloading' the ballast your body no longer needs. For people with very busy and active lives, yin yoga can be a great way to maintain balance in their own lives. Too much Yang can ultimately lead to overload and potentially even burnout and/or (chronic) physical and mental complaints. As a busy bee, my own mind often works overtime in a Yang-like manner, which is why I'm so happy to relax through yin yoga. However, too much Yin is also not good for a healthy Yin-Yang balance.
Each yin yoga class I teach has a theme, and this month I naturally started with the theme of SUMMER. According to the 5-element theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), summer belongs to the fire element, which includes the heart and the small intestine. Both organs have a meridian that runs close together in the arms and ends (or begins) in your pinky! The large intestine meridian also runs through the arm and ends in the index finger.
During my third class of this summer, I focused on the small intestine meridian, which energetically influences and is connected to the small intestine organ. I explained to the students that this meridian runs from the pinky along the backside of both arms towards the shoulders. It then zigzags on the shoulder blades to the front, ending at the collarbone and then runs up the neck to the jaw. Under the cheekbone, the meridian ends at the side of the nose. The small intestine meridian can be stimulated through physical exercises such as deep abdominal breathing and specific yin yoga poses that gently stretch the areas through which the meridian runs. These exercises also stimulate other meridians, such as those of the heart and large intestine.
One of these yin yoga poses involves stretching your neck muscles by gently moving your head to one side of your shoulders while keeping your shoulders relaxed. When you can no longer stretch further, you focus on abdominal breathing, which stimulates your digestive organs like the small and large intestines. Additionally, with each exhalation, you relax more, which may allow your neck muscles to stretch a bit more. This should be done for a maximum of 2-3 minutes (see sketch below).
After this class, there was a lot of giggling from the students. Because I gave them the tip to do the 'stretch-your-neck' exercise during prolonged toilet sessions when experiencing bowel issues like slow bowel movements. By sitting relaxed on the toilet and doing this exercise, you might find that you feel the need to defecate without having to strain. I'm curious to see who will try this at home. I'll ask next time!
Although I rarely have real problems with my daily bowel movements, I've tried this exercise a few times recently and found it very relaxing and stimulating for my bowels. Maybe this is something for you to try because, let's face it, who takes the time nowadays to defecate in a relaxed and calm manner? It can also help to make gentle rotating movements with your shoulders while continuing to breathe deeply. And what about gentle massages over your belly around your navel, from right to left, as your feces pass through the transverse colon, or the horizontal part of the large intestine, before moving down the descending colon on the left side of your abdomen towards the anus. Massaging in this way can help stimulate the peristalsis of your intestines, and hopefully, you will notice a positive effect on your bowel movements just as I did.
So, if you have sensitive bowels, possibly resulting in constipation, consider visiting a gut therapist to find and treat the causes. Look for ways to relax, such as attending a yin yoga class. Or start by trying these exercises in the comfort of your own bathroom! Good luck!
Marcelline Goyen
Skin Therapist BSc skin care, Gut Therapist, Author & Yin Yoga Teacher
Comments